A business advocacy coalition on Wednesday urged New York officials to increase liability protections for essential businesses and services during the coronavirus pandemic.

The group backed by the Lawsuit Reform Alliance wrote to Governor Andrew Cuomo and the top leaders in the state legislature that federal government is yet to issue guidelines for which pandemic-related services are immune from lawsuit liability and future litigation. 

That includes managers of properties like schools and hotels, drivers and contractors being used to provide transportation services and contractors and property owners who are working on essential construction.

“Providing liability protections to our medical professionals, healthcare facilities, and to the valiant volunteers who have returned to medical service, was an important first step," the coalition wrote in the letter. "Taking additional steps to shield our economy from unique liability exposures and tabling any proposals that may further negatively affect businesses will help provide some certainty in these truly uncertain times."